I Learned My Lesson Well
by actionman81
Summary: Deanna, a young teen in the real world, fights with her father. Her world is upside down when she's deposited at Starlight Mansion, in the Jem universe.
1. Chapter 1

2017

"Why can't you just leave me alone!" 13 year old Deanna Keller shouted  
Steve sighed, "If that's what you want" he hefted the heavy backpack on his shoulders and left the room  
"God, you are such a pushover" she smirked. She slipped her earbuds back into place and continued dancing to her favorite song. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" she sang, only it sounded more like something else.  
Steven Keller shook his head. He could hear his daughter down the hall. He shut the door, not because he wanted to, but because he had another night of grading essays. He sat down in his desk chair, scratched his scruffy beard, and sighed. The paper stack seemed to have only grown as the evening had turned to night.  
"These aren't really due until Monday" he rationalized, "I can do it later" he grinned momentarily. Steve glanced back to the closed door. He thought about asking his daughter if she wanted to watch television with him, but thought better of it. So much had changed in such little time that he wasn't sure who she was anymore.

In her room, Deanna danced some more, twerking her body like her favorite reality TV stars. "Maybe Rylan will be interested in me now" she stuck her hip out in front of the mirror. Then she pouted to her own reflection. "Yeah, this is a great selfie" she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of herself.

In his bedroom, or rather his home office, as it had become overrun with books, papers, and teaching material, Steve sat in his desk chair, his head in his hand, his elbow propped on one denim covered knee, the DVD remote on the floor. The television blared on, "You have to, you're my father!" an Asian girl screamed at a red haired man.  
But Steve wasn't paying attention. He didn't see when the little Asian girl hopped over the guardrail and into the bear pit. His mind was elsewhere.  
Things were easier then, years ago, not like they are now. Years ago, before the kids, before his marriage, before his divorce, before all of it; back when he could sit back and enjoy a good show, eat some cereal or a snack, and be enthralled by another favorite episode.  
"Daddy, save me!" the Asian girl screamed. Steve smiled wryly. "Deanna used to love this" he remembered. She'd cling to him, her arms around his neck, both scared and amazed at what happened on the screen. "Are the bears going to eat her up?" she'd ask.  
"Just wait and find out" he'd always gently let her know. He tried not to give away the ending. Then again, she was only four then.  
Sharon had been there, always busy, always doing something, even though she'd grown up with the same television shows. In fact, looking back, that was the strangest thing about their relationship. It seemed like no matter what Steve had done, it had been expected, and everything that Sharon had done, had apparently been absolutely fine, or he should've thanked her for doing it. Maybe it was better when they split up. It was better for everyone.  
Except Deanna.  
"She'd cried, God, how she'd cried" he thought back. The courts had decided, for a change, that he'd win sole custody. Her behavior, Sharon's, had been a deciding factor. Rages of anger, waves of guilt, and just as quick, bursts of happiness, and their ensuing related activities  
The courts had decided that Steve was a better parent, with his steady, yet low paying job, and a stable household, that he could better provide a home for young Deanna.  
Of course, now, that stable household was anything but a home.

Meanwhile in her bedroom, Deanna was already texting Bev, another girl in her class, "I rly wnt hm to like me"  
"U gotto prove t hm that ur d won" she wrote back  
"Hw?"  
"dunno"  
"gt it" Deanna wrote back. She dropped her phone on the bed, and yanked off her cropped t-shirt. In her skinny jeans and her underthings, she grabbed her phone and snapped a picture.  
"Hey, Dee" Steve called.  
"Oh God" she thought. Footsteps were approaching  
"I was going to start dinner, and was wondering if- " the door opened, "you wanted—What the hell is going on?" his calm voice turned into a roar.  
"It was nothing" she shouted back, "I was just- just" she slammed her phone down on the bed. It bounced and fell to the floor. The cover popped off.  
"You were just what?" Steve fumed. His dark eyebrows furrowed and his blue eyes shone like sapphires with anger. "Put your shirt on and get in the living room- Now!"  
"But- I was – he" she began  
"Now!" he bellowed. Steve spun on his heels and stormed down the hallway.  
Minutes later, Deanna sat on the couch, waiting for the lecture. It would always come. It was always the same, "Why can't you just be yourself. Why can't you stop trying to grow up so fast?" What did he know about growing up? He was already grown up and he still watched cartoons like a baby.  
Steve stood opposite her, blocking the darkened television.  
"I've tried everything I can do" he was frustrated. She could tell by his voice. This time, it was different, "I'm at my wit's end, Deanna. You're thirteen, and I know that seems really grown up, but you're still a child"  
"I'm a teenager" she shot back  
"I know" he nodded, "And when I was thirteen, I was interested in girls, too, but if a girl ever did something like that, taking photographs like that-"  
"Selfies"  
"Whatever they're called" he frowned, "I wouldn't have given a girl like that a second thought"  
"You don't have to worry about that. Rylan will never even look at me"  
"Then he's not the right kind of boy"  
"What do you want me to do? Find somebody like you? Jesus God, Dad, you're nearly forty and you're watching cartoons and playing with dolls. Even I don't do that!"  
Steve sighed. "Yeah" he nodded, "You're right"  
"I'm so angry that- wait- I'm right?" she stopped. No, she couldn't have heard that correctly.  
"Things changed over time" he walked over and sat on the couch next to her. A space was empty between them. It was only a cushion's worth of space, but it felt like a chasm. "That was something your mother said, too" he smiled wryly, "Are you going to do that when we're married? She'd asked, buy toys" he gave a dry chuckle, "I didn't want you to be embarrassed of me. You used to like playing dolls with your old man"  
"That was a long time ago" she'd calmed down, too  
"Sure" he didn't really believe his own words  
"I tried to do everything I could. It's just not enough" he looked at his lap, "Maybe, maybe you would be better off living with your mother" he sighed  
"Dad, it's not like that"  
"It's not a threat" he looked at her, "You're right, I'm a grown man who watches cartoons and plays with dolls. What could you possibly learn from me?"  
"Don't get like this" Deanna stood up, "Just ground me or yell at me or something"  
"Oh, you're grounded" he smiled, "no phone, no computer, come straight home after school"  
"But, what about-" she started  
"No, no concert"  
"But come on!" she stamped her foot on the floor  
"No, I'm not coming on anything" Steve glared at her  
"You're so gross" Deanna spun on her sneakered heel and ran out of the room  
"Get married, they said, have kids, they said, it'll be fun, they said" Steve mumbled

Deanna stormed into her room, slammed the door closed, and stared at her surroundings. Pastel pink walls that she'd once loved, but now detested, were covered with rock band posters and images of teen idols. Her writing desk, meant as a place to do homework, was sandwiched between her bed and a pair of white bookshelves, her father's idea that stood in an L shape and took up the corner of the room. They'd moved soon after her mother had left. "Smart choice" Deanna scowled at her bookshelves. Once filled with everything from fairy tales to romance novels, now they were home to a collection of electronic gadgets, makeup bottles and boxes, and several boxes for her jewelry. Opposite the bookshelves was a built in closet with accordion doors. Her clothes hung on racks or in plastic drawers. The room looked like a boy had designed it, because, well, one had. Deanna had wanted to redo the room over, now that she was grown up, but her father had explained that money was tight for the time being. They'd moved to the house when she was eight, and though her collection of dolls, stuffed animals, and board games diminished over time until they were housed in the garage, her room still stunk of age regression. "Anyone would think I stole this place from a five year old" she knitted her eyebrows. Deanna stared at herself in the mirror that was attached to the wall.  
Brown hair, like her dad, but hers was dyed with stripes of blue and black. Edgy, the way she liked it.  
Blue eyes, like him, too, but they had mascara. She had just started a year ago, and thanks to her friend Bev, she'd gotten pretty good at it.  
A rock band t-shirt, cut under the arms, showing off her stomach. Low hung skinny jeans. She kicked off her canvas sneakers- they were really retro, and flopped down on the bed. Deanna stared at the ceiling. There was a poster pinned to her ceiling. She'd still been into that stupid kid's show back then. God, eight was a lifetime ago. Some artist had made the poster, Wil Minute-O or something. She could never say his name right. Maginot? Try as she might, she couldn't reach the ceiling from her bed to rip the damn thing down. So tonight, she just stared at it in anger.  
"I'm going out to pick up some dinner" Steve called from outside the room, "Did you want something in particular?"  
"How about some Cyanide?" she was still angry  
"Sounds great!" he called from down the hallway. The door opened and closed.  
Then he was gone.  
Deanna sat up. She threw on her sneakers, leapt from her bed and was down the hall in a matter of moments. She'd show him.  
The master bedroom was unlocked. It always was. He was so worried about a fire or something that he'd never bother with locks on the inner doors. Deanna strode into the study like she owned the place, switched on the television. "Damn, one of his stupid tapes was on"  
The intro was starting already, "Me and my friends are Jem girls, Jem, Jem is my name" the teenaged singer belted out the theme song.  
Then something happened, the intro warped into a black screen. Then, one of the singers- what was her name? Kimberly? She came onscreen. "There's not going to be a show today" she explained, "Jem is-"  
"What the hell is happening here?" Deanna stared at the screen.  
But the animated character went on, "It's time you quit being a major league pain to your dad" she stared right at the camera, if there was a camera- it was like she was staring right at Deanna.  
"What a bunch of garbage" the teenager aimed the remote at the DVR player  
"I wouldn't do that" the redhead spoke from the screen, "In fact, I think you could see what my sister says being a superstar is all about"  
There was a blinding flash of light, and Deanna couldn't see. She shut her eyes to shield them from the blast of luminescence.  
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in front of a cream colored mansion.  
A blonde woman exited the mansion's front doors and walked right up to her, "Hi" she smiled, "You must be Deanna. I'm so glad you'll be staying with us. I'm Jerrica Benton"


	2. Chapter 2

1988

"What the hell is going on here?" Deanna was shocked  
"Hey" Jerrica frowned, "We don't use language like that here"  
"Sure" she scoffed in response, "Because this is totally happening"  
"Hi" a little freckled girl with her hair in blonde braids peeked out from behind Jerrica, "Are you staying with us?"  
"Not if I can help it" Deanna crossed her arms  
"Oh" the braided girl sighed  
"Terri" Jerrica explained, "Deanna's going to spend some time with us. I guess she's not used to being here"  
"The hell I'm not" Deanna snapped  
"Alright" Jerrica took her hand, "Come with me. We've got to have a frank talk before you get too comfortable" she led Deanna into the house. Terri raced ahead and was already hallway up the stairs by the time they arrived into the foyer and shut the front doors.  
"Come with me" Jerrica headed to the living room. She sat on a couch. Deanna followed and stood facing her, and stared.  
"Why don't you have a seat?" Jerrica offered  
Deanna scowled, "Standing's fine"  
"Alright" Jerrica smiled, "I'd like to talk about why you're here"  
"Because this is a nightmare"  
Jem glanced around, as if she was waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. So, she continued, "You'll be staying with us while your family's getting over some things. If you'll follow me," she stood, "I'll show you where you'll be sleeping"  
"My family? What's going on with them?" Deanna frowned and chased after Jerrica  
They were at the staircase now, "Maybe it's best if we talked about it somewhere a bit more private" she began walking upstairs.  
Deanna trudged after her, "This is insane. I'm in a cartoon"  
Jerrica didn't hear her, or if she did, she didn't let on that she had. They reached the top of the stairs, and Jerrica led her to down a hallway to a purple-walled bedroom. A pink, four poster bed with canopy was in one corner. A built in bookshelf was on one wall, with a storage stool under it. A bulky dresser stood at the far end of the room, with a writing desk stood against the fourth wall, with a door next to it. "Your closet is there" Jerrica pointed to the door, "and everything else is pretty straightforward." She patted the bed, "I'd really like it if we could talk about something in private"  
Deanna sighed and sat on the bed. Jerrica pulled the chair from the desk and sat down, again facing Deanna.  
"I know what you want to tell me" Deanna realized, "You're Jem, right?"  
Jerrica's eyebrows raised, "That's silly" she smiled  
"Sure it is" Deanna chuckled  
"What I wanted to talk to you about was your father"  
"How do you know him?" she looked dumbstruck for once  
"It- it's complicated" Jerrica finally replied, "the point is that he's concerned about you"  
"And how the heck do you know that?" she was snippy  
"We've got our ways" Jerrica gave a knowing smile  
Just then, Shana and Raya entered the room, "Sorry to interrupt, Jerrica" Raya began  
Deanna didn't let her finish, "Oh god, it's you"  
"It's me?" Raya looked confused  
"You're that chick that my Dad is creepy about"  
Raya looked at Shana. Both were unsure about what Deanna was talking about  
"What did you want to tell me?" Jerrica addressed her friends  
"You have to go get Jem over to the recording studio. The band's ready to rehearse"  
"Right, I'll – go get her" Jerrica stood up  
"Sure" Deanna lengthened the vowel of the word  
"But first" Jerrica continued, "We've got to do something about this hair" she held a few strands of Deanna's hair between her fingers, "I've got it" she snapped her fingers on her other hand, "Deirdre, Lela, Ashley! Get in here, please"  
The three teenage girls rushed in the room, "You bellowed?" Ashley quipped  
"Can you help Deanna with her hair, and possibly her clothes, so –"  
Ashley interrupted, "So she doesn't look so weird?"  
"Well" Jerrica tried to correct her  
"We're on it" Lela took Deanna's hand, "Come on, I'm sure you'll look great in no time"  
"But I look fine now" Deanna protested, "I mean you all have color in your hair" she pointed at Shana and Raya  
"But we're not thirteen" Shana corrected her  
"How did you –" Deanna began, but Lela, Ashley and Deirdre ushered her out of the room and down the hallway.  
"That was close" Raya turned to Jerrica  
"I know" Jerrica nodded, "but we'll have to do the best we can"

In the bathroom, one of the bathrooms, Lela, Ashley and Deirdre stood around Deanna  
"Gosh, what did you do to your hair?" Lela took a lock between her fingers  
"It's just color" Deanna scoffed, "No big deal"  
"Are you nuts?" Ashley scolded, "Don't you know what this will do to the fibers?"  
"But- but you've- you did" she stammered  
"I did what?" Ashley stared at her, "This?" she touched her own hair, "I'm the trouble maker" she flipped up the collar on her yellow shirt, "besides, I'm not always like this"  
"Yeah" Lela grinned, "she's got a whole other outfit, all flowers and pastels"  
Deirdre laughed, "That's because you're one of the favorites"  
Ashley gave the other two a knowing wink, "It could've happened for you guys, too"  
"Maybe" Lela shrugged  
"Let's make you look more like you" Ashley grabbed a pair of scissors.  
Nearly an hour later, Lela spun Deanna around in front of a mirror. The teenage girl gasped at her own reflection. The harsh color was washed from her hair, her makeup had been scrubbed off, and she'd had quite a trim, so her dark brown tresses, she now sported a shorter bobbed hairstyle. She looked young, not too young, but just about thirteen.  
"We've got to do something about your clothes" Lela shook her head side to side, "Come on" she led Deanna and the other girls out of the bathroom and into the hallway, "Let's see, who's got the best clothes?" Lela asked the others as well as herself  
"What do you like?" Deirdre asked Deanna  
"I like rock music, and boys, and being by myself"  
"I can relate to that" a voice wafted from the other room. The girls peeked in and saw Laura Holloway, stretched out on her bed, with her guitar next to her. She sat up, "Hi"  
"Hi" Deanna mumbled back  
"This is Deanna" Lela introduced her, "and this is Laura. She moved back in after-"  
"After Ba Nee, another girl" Ashley interjected, "well, her father came back and found her. It was really crazy with all sorts of weird stuff happening at the abandoned zoo"  
"Well duh, nobody wanted to go back after that weird bear scare last year" Laura grinned  
Nobody mentioned to Laura that Ba Nee had been the one to incite the bear incident that year.  
Deanna stepped back into the hallway. She turned and leaned forlornly on the railing over the staircase and looked down. The doorbell rang, and another girl with red curly hair opened the door  
"That's Becky" Lela explained to Deanna. Deanna just sighed.  
Minx barged into the foyer, "Rio, I've come to help you repair your synthesizer" she pushed past Becky  
Rio stepped forward from the kitchen, "Actually, it's Kimber's, and I was just-"  
She cut him off, "That is ok" she smiled, "I will love to help you any way that I can"  
Upstairs, Deanna sighed, "Why can't I be like that?  
"You want to look like Minx?" Laura walked into the hallway, having heard the last part of the conversation, "Who'd want to look like that?"  
"She's pretty and sophisticated" Deanna looked wistfully at Minx  
"and a total basket case" Lela interrupted, "Come on, do you want to be man-crazy like she is?"  
"Well, there is this one guy, Rylan"  
"Rylan?" Ashley laughed, "God, he sounds like a dish detergent!"  
"He is not!" Deanna fumed, "He's a very—he's cute"  
"Cute isn't everything" Laura spoke quietly, "Bobby was cute, and he took advantage of me"  
"Holy shit!" Deanna exclaimed, "What did he do?"  
"Nothing to me, not really, but, but he" Laura faltered  
"He got her hooked on drugs, illegal ones" Ashley explained, "He saw that she was a new kid at school and used her. You don't want that, do you, Deanna?"  
"Well, not, but"  
"But what?" Deirdre turned to her, "I don't care if this Ryan guy is cute or not. If he doesn't like you for you, or he wants you to be something else, then he's not right for you. How hard is that to understand?"  
"It's not, but"  
"Yeah" Ashley countered  
"It's different, okay? It's just different" Deanna shouted. She spun on her sneakered heels and ran into her room and flopped into the canopy bed.  
Deirdre walked in to the room that used to be Ba Nee's. The story books and paper dolls were long gone, and the room had no real touches of anyone's personality. She sat at the foot of the bed  
"I know its rough"  
"No you don't!" Deanna cried through her pillow  
"Yeah, I do" she countered softly, "A year ago, maybe more, I thought that Jerrica had no time for us, for me. She was busy with work, and while we had a wonderful place here, I wanted something more"  
Deanna looked up, "So, so what did you do?"  
"I did something really dumb. I ran away. My friends Krissie and Be Nee, I guess we're all like sisters here, they came along, so I wouldn't get hurt"  
"Did you?" Deanna genuinely wanted to know. She'd apparently forgotten The Music Awards two part episodes  
"Sort of, yeah" Deirdre was honest, "We ran into some really rough guys, who wanted to hurt us, and we met another boy, Danny; he had a much worse time than us, but he got help. He's at Haven House right now, and maybe – well, if this doesn't work out for you here, Haven House can help, too"  
"My Dad's always busy, and he doesn't understand what's going on with me"  
"Hey, at least you have a Dad. Ba Nee, before her dad showed up, would do practically anything to meet him or whatever she thought he was like. She drew crazy pictures of what she wanted him to be like. I don't know. I guess if any of our parents came back, we'd go crazy too"  
"How, how did you end up here?"  
"I was little, three, four, I guess" Deirdre explained, "My Dad, well, I didn't know him much, at all really, but my Mom was good. I remember she would make me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, but we didn't have much. She was sick a lot. I found out later on that she had a drug problem, but anyway. One day she took a nap, and when I got hungry, I tried to wake her up" she sighed  
A few beats passed  
"She'd died?" Deanna guessed  
"Yeah" Deirdre was quiet, "Last year, a lot of didn't know what was going on with Laura, but then she got help, she got into rehab, and that was good. I never really told her about my Mom. Maybe it would've helped her. I don't even know my last name. Ashley knows hers, but she also had it written on her jacket when she first got here. So there's that"  
"How do you – why—" Deanna couldn't get her thoughts out into words  
"You have it really good. From whatever you've said so far, you have a Dad who loves you. Sure, he's busy, but who isn't? And how did you end up here anyway?"  
Deanna wasn't sure whether she would tell the truth or not, so she began slowly, "My Dad, he – he heard about this place, and the – and the charity work that Jem does"  
"That Jerrica does, you mean" Deirdre corrected her, "Look, that's the other thing I realized. Jem is really great, she sings beautifully, but Jerrica took the time to go to the cops to find me; she's the one who was worried about me. Her and Aja, Shana, Kimber, even Raya if she'd been here then, they're the ones who cared about me, not some singer"  
Ashley was leaning on the open door frame, "I can't believe you told her about my jacket. I was three, for crying out loud!"  
"Yeah, but it helped, right?" Deirdre smiled  
"Yeah yeah, it helped" Ashley conceded  
"Come on" Deirdre took Deanna's hand, "let's get you some better clothes"  
"What's wrong with these?"  
"Everything" Deirdre shook her head side to side


	3. Chapter 3

"How about this?" Ashley threw a t-shirt out of the closet. It flew and hit Deanna in the face.  
"Hey!" she shouted  
"Give me a break, I'm a batter, not a pitcher" she was annoyed  
Deanna's cropped t-shirt, low hung skinny jeans and sneakers lay on the bed. Now, she wore a pair of light blue jeans with a high waist. She pulled on the t-shirt. It was turquoise and had a looked like it had swipes of paint on the front.  
"These are too long" Deanna frowned at the jeans  
"Then roll them up" Ashley suggested  
"Fine"  
"The sneakers are ok" Ashley smirked  
"Why couldn't we see someone else's clothes?" Deanna lamented  
"Because you're nowhere close in size to the younger girls, so that leaves me, Deirdre and Lela. A dress girl, you're not, and honestly, if you like Deirdre's stuff so much, go hassle her!"  
"Ok, ok, sorry" Deanna slipped her shoes on. She glanced around Ashley's room, "What's that, Push?"  
"Yeah, it's a Canadian rock band" Ashley grabbed a cassette tape from the desk and popped it in her stereo  
"Living in the limelight, the universal dream, for those who wish to seem, those who wish and seeeeem" the tape played  
"Hey, I know that!" Deanna recognized the song, "but it's not Push it's-" she stopped abruptly  
"It's what?" Ashley pressed a button and stopped the tape.  
"It's nothing- um—my Dad liked the band"  
"Oh" Ashley shrugged  
"I'll let you listen to it" Deanna left the room quickly. "What was going on here? It's like Bizarro world or something. Everything's backwards" she thought to herself. She was so busy with her thoughts that she didn't see where she was headed. She slammed face first into Krissie.  
"Hey!" Krissie dropped her books.  
"Sorry" Deanna apologized. It seemed like she was doing a lot of that here, "Where are you going?"  
"Dominic is coming over. We're going to study together"  
"Dominic Lerner" Deanna remembered aloud, "That's Tina—I mean, Lena Lerner's son" she knelt to help Krissie pick up her books.  
"Yeah, he is"  
"Is he going to help you with your homework?" Deanna asked  
"Sort of, I'm helping him with his homework" Krissie explained  
"Damn, you must be smart"  
"Thanks" Krissie nodded, taking the books from Deanna, "The haircut looks good, and I like your outfit"  
"This?" Deanna looked at her t-shirt and jeans, "I guess"  
"Hey, sure it looks good" Krissie stood up, as did Deanna, "That other stuff you had on made you look- well, you really looked too old"  
"Oh"  
"I mean, you look nice now, more like yourself"  
"How do you know who I am?"  
Krissie tilted her head to the side for a moment, "I guess I don't, but you do. Was that who you really were inside?"  
"I don't know." Deanna mumbled  
"Well, why don't you come downstairs with me and hang out until Dominic gets here?"  
"Sure, ok"  
They walked down the stairs in silence. Once they reached the living room, Krissie dropped the books on the coffee table and they settled on the couch. Krissie leaned back and turned to Deanna, "Is it true that you already have a boyfriend?"  
"What?"  
"I heard it from some of the other girls that you have a boyfriend. Aren't you kind of young for that?"  
"You have that Dominic guy" Deanna retorted  
"I like him, but come on, I'm eleven, and Dominic is only twelve, and it's not like we're going to go steady or something right now"  
"Oh" Deanna realized  
"Besides, he's really famous, with his mom, and I don't want to-" she was cut off when the doorbell rang. Krissie stood up, but Deanna held out her hand, "I can get the door"  
"Thanks"  
"Sure" Deanna headed to the front doors. She opened it, and Dominic stood there, a backpack on his shoulders, and a jacket tucked under his arm. His t-shirt said "The Star" on it and he had jeans and sneakers on.  
"Hi" he smiled, "Are you new here?"  
"Uh, yeah" Deanna nodded, "You must be here for Krissie"  
"Yeah"  
"Come on it" Deanna shut the door and led him into the living room  
"Thanks" he grinned, "Hey, go get us some—I mean, could you please bring us some sodas"  
"Oh ok" Deanna wasn't sure where to go  
Krissie realized what had happened, "Deanna, come with me, and I'll show you where the sodas are. Mrs. Bailey must've bought some this week"  
They walked into the kitchen. "Here" Krissie reached up and took out two sodas, "Did you want one?"  
"Ok" Deanna sighed.  
They started to walk back. Deanna grabbed Krissie's arm before they left the kitchen  
"What happened?"  
"I got to ask something" Deanna began, "And I know it might sound weird because I'm thirteen and you're eleven, but"  
"Yeah?"  
"When you do like a boy, what do you do to let him know? Or how do you know that he likes you, or what should he like about you?"  
Krissie thought for a minute, "I don't know. I mean, Dominic was a real jerk first, and I didn't like that, but once he stopped acting like that, and figured out that he didn't have to be a show-off all the time and wasn't expected to know everything, I guess I liked that- that he was himself"  
"So you're saying, be myself?" Deanna looked confused  
"It's a start" Krissie smiled, "Look, I really got to help him with his history, but we'll talk later on, ok?" she headed to the living room.  
"Yeah, ok" Deanna leaned against the kitchen counter.  
There was a knock on the door then, the back door. A man stood there, looking in through the kitchen window.  
"Hey, let me in"


	4. Chapter 4

Deanna strode over to the back door. Her hand was on the knob, and she was just turning it when Rio walked into the kitchen  
"Hey, who's at the door?" he looked toward Deanna  
"Oh, I don't know" her hand was still on the knob.  
"Don't you know it's dangerous to just open the door to anyone. If you don't know them, they're a stranger" Rio admonished her  
"Stranger? You're one to talk. You've banging Jerrica and Jem"  
Rio frowned, but sidestepped the question. He calmly removed her hand from the doorknob, and then he checked who was there himself.  
"Oh, it's Prescott" Rio smiled and opened the door  
"Hi Rio, is Jem around"  
"She might be upstairs" Rio began, "or she might have left for her rehearsal already. I'll go check on her for you"  
"Thanks" bespectacled Prescott grinned  
"Come on, you can wait in the living room" Rio led him out of the kitchen  
"Um hello" a voice on the other side of the back door called  
"Who is it?" Deanna had learned by now to check first before opening a door  
"Fitzgerald Beck" the voice answered  
Deanna peeked through the kitchen window. Sure enough, spiky haired Fitzgerald Beck stood on the other end of the door. Deanna let him in.  
"I was just parking the car and Prescott ran ahead of me" he explained  
"Rio's checking to see where Jerr- where Jem is" Deanna told him, "Just head into the living room"  
"Got ya!" he smiled and turned to leave the room. He spun around, "Hey, maybe we can stay for dinner, huh?"  
"This is too weird" Deanna leaned against the closed back door.  
Jerrica came down a few minutes later, "Girls, I think it's time you took your books upstairs and studied there. Fitzgerald Beck, Prescott and I have some discussions to do about the concert venue"  
"Shouldn't Jem be discussing it with them?" Deanna smirked  
"She will, but for now" Jerrica narrowed her eyes at her, "I'll be taking care of things. Please don't forget that"  
"Right" Deanna nodded quietly. No sense in arguing with her when Jerrica or Jem or whoever she was, was letting her stay here for free.  
The girls trooped upstairs. Terri and the younger girls went into one room and Deanna could hear them playing a board game. She turned into the doorway of her room and stared at the pastel colors. She didn't want to do anything. She flopped down on the bed and sighed.  
It was going to be a long night.

Deanna tried hard to get comfortable in the big bed. She stared up at the canopy overhead but no sleep came. She could hear the men and Jerrica talking about the concert venue, down the hall, and a memory struck her.  
"Dad used to watch the Jem show even when he thought I was asleep. This is too surreal to hear them talk just down the hall. But I still can't sleep like this; it's not the same"  
She rolled over and stared at the blank wall, "Man, I wish he was here right now. I wonder- damn – I wonder if he even misses me, or even if he realizes I'm not around"

In the morning, Shana turned on the lights in the room and Deanna blinked against the harsh brightness.  
"Wake up" Shana smiled, "You've got to get ready for school"  
"School?" Deanna frowned. She'd slept in her clothes. Her t-shirt and jeans were creased and rumbled, and her hair was askew at various angles.  
"It's morning, child" Shana sighed, "and you can't stay home all day. We've got rehearsals and Mrs. Bailey can't watch you all day long" with that, she left Deanna alone.  
Deanna sat up in bed and stared at the open door. She could hear the other girls getting ready. Soon, Ashley and Deidre came in the room.  
"Hurry up" Ashley scolded, "we'll be late if you don't"  
"Alright" Deanna got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom  
"I'm next" Deidre stopped her, "and then Ashley"  
"Fine" Deanna folded her arms in frustration.

By the time everyone was ready, Rio had arrived in his red van to drop everyone off. The younger girls, Terri, JoEllen, and MariAnne headed to the elementary school to meet up with Ba Nee, while the older girls, including Deanna, headed for the high school, South High, which was across the field from the grade school and shared a playground which was mainly used by the younger children.  
Lela, a senior, and Becky, and Delaree headed for their upperclassman classes, as they were juniors in high school. Meanwhile, Ashley, Deirdre, Laura and Krissie made their way to the ninth grade freshman homeroom.  
"Come on" Krissie took Deanna's hand, "It's this way" she pointed out the classroom.  
Laura shuddered as she passed someone in the hallway, "Oh God, it's Bobby"  
Deanna looked up at him as he passed by her. The name sounded familiar but she couldn't quite remember it.  
"He's cute" she mused aloud  
"Cute" Laura scoffed, "He's a major league jerk" she scowled at him  
"Yeah, he got her addicted to drugs" Ashley added, "and tried to get me hooked on them, too"  
"Didn't he go to jail?" Krissie asked as they sat down at their desks  
"He went to juvie" Deirdre informed, "but I guess he got out or something"  
"I wonder if his record is clean?" Deanna smiled to herself, then she turned away from the other Starlight Girls, "I have to use the restroom" she told the teacher.  
"I'm sure you can wait a little bit" the teacher glared back through thick framed eyeglasses.  
"I've got cramps" Deanna frowned  
"Alright" the teacher waved her away. Deanna shot out of her desk like a rocket.  
"Hi Bobby!" she found him near a locker  
"Oh, hi" he fumbled with the lock  
"I heard you could help me out. I've got some trouble concentrating for a big quiz coming up"  
"Really?" he glanced around. Then, seeing that nobody was watching him, pulled a small baggie of red pills from his jacket pocket.  
Deanna scowled at the baggie of pills, "What the hell is this? Why don't you just give me a freakin' pot brownie?" she shoved the baggie in her jeans' pocket  
Bobby stared at her, his mouth hung open, "Um – brownies? Like from the girl scouts?"  
Deanna barreled on, "Don't you have any bath salts?"  
Bobby sniffed the air around him, "What? No, I just took a shower this morning"  
"God" Deanna let out a shriek that rivaled Pizzazz's, "At least how about some Molly or Malcolm X?"  
Bobby looked around and then back at Deanna, "We don't study Malcolm X until next semester. And what about Molly, you mean the Misfits Girl? Yeah, she's pretty-" then he added, "Like you" he grinned, "I like getting to know all the good looking girls in school"  
"Nice save, dingus" Ashley butted into the conversation, having gotten up from her desk and run down the hallway. She took Deanna's hand and dragged her away. "What was all that about? Didn't you know that Bobby is nothing but bad news"  
"I'll say" she frowned, "he didn't have anything good for me at all"  
"You're being a major league jerk yourself I you want to be like Bobby Braddock" Ashley fumed, "anyway, it's time for World History. Let's go"

Soon, Deanna found herself in another classroom. "Can anyone tell me something important about West Germany?" the teacher asked the class  
"The Stingers are from there!" a teenage girl raised her hand  
"Nice try" the teacher smiled, "how about something from your textbooks?"  
Deanna looked at her textbook, "East Germany, West Germany?" she looked puzzled  
Another classmate overheard her, "Don't you know anything? There's a wall dividing the two part to keep people out"  
"Keep people out?" Deanna looked even more confused, "How is a wall going to keep people out of somewhere? Don't the East Germans have ladders? Or even a staircase?"  
The class stared at her, agog.  
"Alright right, let's move along to page thirty seven" the teacher went on

"Hey you, new kid" a redhead girl with spiky hair punched Deanna on her way from World History.  
"Uh, go on ahead" Deanna waved to Laura, Ashley and the others. She turned back to the scowling girl, "Yeah?"  
"There's a system here" the redhead sneered, "You need to pay your dues if you want to go places"  
"Sure" Deanna scoffed, "Bye Felicia"  
The redhead grabbed her by the shirt collar and pulled her back, "The name's Ellen, and don't you forget it"  
"Ok ok, Ellen, damn" Deanna dug into her pocket, but could only find the pills that Bobby had given her, "Here" she shoved them into Ellen's waiting mitts.  
"Good" Ellen let go of Deanna's collar. The girl fell to the floor. With that, Ellen ran off down the hallway  
"Do you need a hand?" another girl extended her hand towards Deanna  
"Why, are you going to hit me up for cash, 'cause I don't have any"  
"No" the brunette was quiet, "I just wanted to see if you were alright" she went on, "I'm Sandra. I used to be friends with Ellen, and her other friend, Molly. That was a long time ago" she finished as she helped Deanna stand up  
"They've got Molly at this school?" Deanna grinned  
"Well, sure" Sandra replied, "She started going here with Ellen and me after – well, we used to live in this old building, but now we're at Haven House"  
Their conversation was cut short as the bell rang to signal changing classes. Sandra apologized and ran off. Deanna made her way down the hallway  
"You're late" the teacher made a point of telling her as Deanna ran into the classroom  
"You're going to get in a lot of trouble if you keep doing this" Krissie scolded Deanna  
"Eh" Deanna waved off the admonishment, "That ain't going to happen"  
"Don't say "ain't," dear" the teacher interjected, "It's low-class"  
Deanna stared at her, "Funny you say that" she went on, "Up until the 1800s, "ain't" was a proper contraction of "am not," used by the upper class. It wasn't until the lower classes began to use it that the word fell out of fashion and was deemed bad English. And now, when someone says "ain't," grammar nuts literally go insane"  
"I see" the teacher looked surprised  
"Yeah, I saw it on Andrew Spoils Everything" she explained  
"Is that a new TV show?" another classmate asked  
"It's a web series where this funny looking guy talks about the truth behind many of – of—" she stopped.  
"What's a web series?" the teacher asked, "I suppose you'll tell me that Spider Man put it there?"  
The class laughed. Deanna stared at them, wishing she could disappear.

Class had barely ended and Deanna was on her way to the next class, Algebra, when a stern looking man in a three piece suit stopped her. "Ah, here you are" he didn't smile, "Ms. Benton said you'd be attending school here for awhile"  
"Not that long" Deanna mumbled  
"I didn't catch that" he cupped his ear for emphasis  
"I'll be here"  
"Perhaps today won't be that day" he frowned, "another student has let me know that you seem to be selling illegal drugs"  
"What?" Deanna was shocked, to say the least, "I never did drugs, and I don't go around selling them"  
"What do you call these?" he held up the baggie of pills that she'd gotten from Bobby.  
"That girl, Ellen" Deanna realized, too late.  
"Indeed" he beckoned her to follow him, "You'll have to come with me, and wait in my office until a guardian can pick you up"  
They had barely reached the office when he glanced in the waiting area, "Oh good, she's here now"  
Deanna figured that Jerrica herself would show up, armed with a lecture. She was pleasantly surprised when the Hispanic woman, Raya, sat there instead, purse in hand, jacket on, ready to go.  
"Thank you, again, Ms. Alonso" the man, who Deanna now realized was the Assistant Principal, "she's so fortunate that the Starlight Foundation is taking care of her"  
"She is" Raya agreed, and looked squarely at Deanna, "Please, come with me" she smiled momentarily.

As they sat in the car, Deanna was still ready for a lecture. The two drove silently for a few minutes.  
"Well, aren't you going to yell at me or lecture me or anything?" she finally barked the question  
"No" Raya answered quietly, "I don't have to tell you anything. If you want to see your father again, you know what you have to do"  
"See my father again? How long do you expect to keep me here?" Deanna lashed out  
"It's really not up to me" Raya sighed  
"Then who? That Jerrica lady, who's really Jem?"  
"Not her, either" Raya was matter of fact, "It all depends on you"  
Deanna wore a look of confusion, "On me? What are you talking about?"  
"You'll find out, in time" Raya smiled


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you know about my father? Where is he? Did you do something to him?" Deanna shrieked.  
"No" Raya calmly replied after a moment, her eyes still on the road, "but, we do have to get this car back to Starlight Mansion before Jerrica gets upset"  
"You didn't tell her?"  
"Jem will need it for the upcoming concert, which, by the way, I'll have to talk to you about"  
"Who cares about some loser concert"  
"You should, if you ever want to get home again" the car stopped at a red light and Raya turned to face her, "Haven't you realized what all this is about, Deanna?"  
The girl looked blankly at her  
"Your father used to watch a lot of Jem, the series, with you. Do you remember her catchphrase?"  
"Something about that creepy computer?" the light changed from red to green.  
Raya smiled warmly, "Not quite" she shook her head as the car continued down the busy street. When Deanna said nothing more, Raya supplied the answer, "Doing the right thing makes you a superstar", she looked at the teenager, "Now do you understand?"  
"I have to do the right thing?"  
"You have to learn how to be a better person, be less focused on only yourself, and try to help others as well as helping yourself"  
"Jem does all that?"  
"She does" Raya nodded, "She hosts charity concerts and benefit shows to help those in need, like the children of Haven House"  
"So I have to do good things and think about other people, so that I can go home? How does that even work?"

"You have to understand where you're from to know where you're going" Raya gave an enigmatic answer.  
"I think I understand" Deanna began slowly, "Is it like that meme, Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it?"  
"Something like that" Raya gave a knowing smile.

When they arrived at Starlight Mansion, Jerrica came downstairs, "I'm vury disappointed with you right now"  
"So what? Nobody got hurt"  
"Don't you understand? You've got stop acting like this if you ever want to get home. Or don't you care about your father at all?"  
"Again this crap about my father. What do you know that's so much about him?"  
"I know that if you don't treat people with kindness and consideration, you'll never see him again" Jerrica snapped at her  
"Wait? I'm stuck here? In TV Land, forever? I can't get out just because you think I'm being some kind of little shit?"  
"If you want to use those terms, yes" Jerrica was firm

"What do you care?" Deanna barked in response, "You've got all those charity cases to help out. Why can't you just send me back now and get it over with?"  
"It's not that simple" Jerrica pursed her lips, "You see, doing the right thing-"  
Deanna cut her off, "yeah yeah, makes you a superstar. Maybe I don't want to be one, did you ever think of that?"  
"We could just send her back" Raya glanced at Jerrica, "but- I'm not sure it would go well"  
"No" Jerrica was adamant, "We're either doing this the right way, or not at all" she was firm, "Doing the right thing makes you-"  
"Ok ok" Deanna stopped her, "I understand" she sighed, "What do I have to do now?"  
"You've got to get ready to assist the Starlight Girls with the concert" she explained, "Jem's giving a benefit concert tonight. Fitzgerald Beck will handle the visuals for the concert, while Prescott is taking care of the funding. The money earned from ticket sales will go to a charity" she went on, "and we'll need all the help we can get"

Backstage at the concert, some of the Starlight Girls lugged the band's musical instruments and electronic equipment across the platform.  
Meanwhile, Deirdre tuned up Shana's guitar for her.  
"Check this out" she turned to Deanna, who'd finished setting up Kimber's keyboard stand. Deirdre played a few licks on the electric instrument.  
"Sounds good" Deanna was genuinely impressed, "I bet it would sound better with Autotune"  
"What's that?" Deirdre put down the guitar and stared at Deanna, confused.  
"Good job" Rio pushed some speakers into place, "Let's get that drum set finished and then we'll be done over here"  
The Starlight Girls worked on setting up the drum kit.  
Jerrica walked in with the rest of the Holograms, "Thanks for the help, Rio" Jerrica smiled  
"Sure thing" he grinned, "By the way, the concert's almost ready to start. When's Jem getting here?"  
"She'll be here" Jerrica's face flashed a crestfallen look, but then she straightened up again, "You better usher the girls over to the ticket booths"  
"Right" he gave a mock salute and ran off, a few of the Starlight Girls jogged behind him.  
"Damn" Deanna sighed, "Why don't you just be Jem all the time and get it over with. Rio obviously likes her better" she crossed her arms in front of her chest.  
Jerrica walked over to Deanna. The girl was sure that the CEO would respond with a tongue lashing.  
"Rio didn't always like Jem" Jerrica was candid  
"What are you talking about?" Deanna looked confused.  
"I remember a time – Lindsey Pierce wanted to do an interview, not with all of us, but only with Jem. Kimber, in anger, stormed out of the house. It took a lot to get her back"  
"Yeah, you said it" Kimber blushed at the memory  
"Anyway," Jerrica continued, "I rode with Rio in the van while the others took the Roadster. We had a conversation, and he wanted to quit his job, and stop being Jem's road manager."  
"But that's stupid" Deanna balked, "How did Jem get him to keep going?"  
"I'm the one who told him not to go- I begged him to stay if he could. I said Jem needed him, we all needed him." she went on, "If I tried to change to suit Rio's tastes, what would that make me?"  
"What you're doing right now" Deanna smirked  
"No" Jerrica shook her head, "Being Jem is to stop Eric Raymond and the Misfits, to have a chance to do something else good in the world" she explained, "If I changed myself just to make Rio happy, then I wouldn't be happy" she sighed, "No matter what happens, Rio sees the real me, no matter who he'll choose" she glanced away, "but all I can do is be me"  
"And Jem, too"  
"Rio doesn't always think that Jem is flashy and beautiful- he loves me, Jerrica, because I'm dependable, reliable, and I'm there for him when he needs me. That goes a lot more than fading looks" she scoffed at Deanna's verbal jab, "Being Jem is being me" she exhaled, "maybe a part of me that I don't let out enough when I'm – me- Jerrica"  
"Are you telling me to just be myself?" Deanna raised an eyebrow  
"Essentially" Jerrica nodded, "I know that that's who your father misses, and I bet whatever boy you're worried about likes you for you, not for being somebody else"  
"Whatever" Deanna smirked  
"Go on, help the other Starlight Girls, and when you're done, there's a row of seats set aside for you all in the front row" she glanced back to her bandmates, already ready for the concert, "I've got to go get Jem" she winked.

At the concert, the crowd went wild. After a few sets, Jem stepped forward onstage, and spoke to the audience, "I've got a special treat for you"  
The crowd erupted in cheers.  
"I've got a special friend who's come here from a long way away" she went on  
"Oh hell no, don't single me out" Deanna worried silently.  
"She's come here just to see you all" Jem continued, "Do you want to meet her?"  
The audience went wild with applause.  
"Here she is, fresh off her movie debut, " Jem introduced, "Luna Dark!"  
Luna Dark came onstage and took the accolades in her stride. Then, she began to sing.  
Deanna knew the song. She'd heard her father play the tapes numerous times.

Luna Dark sang,  
"I have a tale to tell  
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well  
I was not ready for the fall  
Too blind to see the writing on the wall"

It was then that Deanna missed her father more than she cared to let anyone know.  
The electronic board behind the band, that had flashed simultaneous live feed from the concert itself, suddenly showed the inside of Deanna's house. Her father, Steve, entered the front door, his arms loaded down with plastic carry bags of food.  
"I'm home" he called, "Come on down for dinner" he glanced around the room.  
Deanna didn't know what to do.  
"I miss you so much, Dad. Don't you realize I'm not there" she silently cried, "If I can go back, I'll be good. I'll quit being somebody else. I'll be me, just me. Maybe then I'll know who really likes me or not"

Deanna closed her eyes and cried softly to herself.  
"I'm home!" Steve called out.  
Deanna opened her eyes. She was back in her father's study. She glanced around. Everything looked the same. The tv was still on, playing a DVD. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was long again, and still dyed. She picked at it with her fingers.  
She was shocked to see her belly-baring shirt and tight, stretch denim jeans.  
Steve walked in the room. "Didn't you hear me calling you?" he quizzically raised an eyebrow  
"Oh Dad, I'm so glad you're back!" she practically jumped on him in a hug.  
"Really? I was just gone for -" he glanced at his wristwatch, "twenty two minutes" he looked over to the TV set, which now played the credits from a Jem episode, "Huh, I guess I was in such a hurry that I left the DVD player running" he mused, "Anyway, come on, I got your favorite. Maybe we can talk about your punishment over dinner" he turned serious for a moment.  
"I'm sorry, Dad" she held onto him, "I know I was being a major league jerk" she sighed, "You're right. If Rylan is going to like me, then he'll have to like me for me, not for anything I'm trying to be- not like someone else"  
"Hey" he looked down at his daughter and smiled, "What brought all this on?"  
"I guess-" she glanced back at the TV, now as the DVD menu list flashed on the screen, Jem effectively staring back at her, "I guess I learned a lesson from Jem"  
"Sure" he laughed, "Doing the right thing makes you, a superstar"

"Maybe it does" her voice was soft and thoughtful, "maybe it does"  
Just then, her phone pinged  
"Oh, it's Rylan!" she gasped  
"Don't you want to get that?"  
"No, later on. I'd rather just watch some some of these episodes with you"  
"Maybe after dinner" he grinned, "Finish up the call quickly," Steve was serious, "I'll set up dinner, and I think it'll be good if you didn't use your phone for awhile"  
"But" she frowned, "I – uh"  
"We can talk about it over dinner" he smiled and left the room

Deanna stared at the phone message, shocked  
"Rylan texted me back", she read her phone messages, "U didnt have to send the fotos. Didnt U know I liked you already?!"

"He liked me already" she grinned, "Thx" she wrote back

A moment later, the reply arrived, "nxt time, dont sent fotos. Just be there Urself"  
"Be myself" Deanna smiled

END


End file.
